Spring Semester 2027 Start Dates: First Day of Classes at 24 Big Universities

Spring 2027 classes begin on Monday, Jan. 11 at 12 of the 24 big universities whose registrar calendars we read on Nov. 4, 2026: Ohio State, the University of Texas (UT) at Austin, Florida, Penn State, Arizona State University (ASU), Kentucky, the University of Southern California (USC), NC State, Utah, the University of Georgia (UGA), Louisiana State University (LSU) and Indiana Bloomington. Seven more start Tuesday, Jan. 19, the day after Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day on Monday, Jan. 18.

Florida State University (FSU) and the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill start earliest, on Wednesday, Jan. 6. The University of Maryland, College Park starts latest, on Wednesday, Jan. 27. Every date below is 2027, and every registrar warns that calendars can change.

Spring 2027 first day of classes by university

The table is sorted by first day. The add column is the one most lists leave out: it shows the last day to add a class where the registrar prints one, under each school’s own wording.

University	First day	Last day to add	Spring break	Last class	Finals end
Florida State University (FSU)	Wed., Jan. 6	Jan. 11	Mar. 15-19	Apr. 23	Apr. 30
University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill	Wed., Jan. 6	Jan. 12	Mar. 5 (5 p.m.) to Mar. 15	Apr. 26	May 6
University of Colorado Boulder	Thu., Jan. 7	Not listed	Mar. 15-19	Apr. 23	Apr. 30
Ohio State	Mon., Jan. 11	Not listed	Mar. 15-19	Apr. 26	May 4
University of Texas (UT) at Austin	Mon., Jan. 11	Jan. 19	Mar. 15-20	Apr. 26	May 3
University of Florida	Mon., Jan. 11	Jan. 15	Mar. 13-20	Apr. 21	Apr. 30
Penn State	Mon., Jan. 11	Jan. 17	Mar. 7-13	Apr. 30	May 7
Arizona State University (ASU), Session C	Mon., Jan. 11	Jan. 17	Mar. 7-14	Apr. 30	May 8
University of Kentucky	Mon., Jan. 11	Jan. 15	Mar. 15-20	Apr. 28	May 6
University of Southern California (USC)	Mon., Jan. 11	Not listed	Mar. 14-21	Apr. 30	May 12
NC State	Mon., Jan. 11	Not listed	Mar. 15-19	Apr. 27	May 5
University of Utah	Mon., Jan. 11	Jan. 15	Mar. 6-14	Apr. 27	May 5
University of Georgia (UGA)	Mon., Jan. 11	Jan. 15	Not listed	Apr. 26	May 4
Louisiana State University (LSU)	Mon., Jan. 11	Jan. 21	Mar. 8-12	May 1	May 8
Indiana University Bloomington	Mon., Jan. 11	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
University of Arizona	Wed., Jan. 13	Not listed	Not listed	May 5 (session ends)	Not listed
Rutgers-New Brunswick	Tue., Jan. 19	Not listed	Mar. 13-21	May 3	May 12
Illinois Urbana-Champaign	Tue., Jan. 19	Feb. 1	Mar. 13-21	May 5	May 13
Minnesota Twin Cities	Tue., Jan. 19	Not listed	Not listed	May 3	May 12
Wisconsin-Madison	Tue., Jan. 19	Not listed	Mar. 20-28	Apr. 30	May 7
University of Iowa	Tue., Jan. 19	Not listed	Mar. 14-21	May 7	May 14
Tennessee (Knoxville)	Tue., Jan. 19	Jan. 25	Mar. 8-12	May 5	May 13
Virginia Tech	Tue., Jan. 19	Not listed	Mar. 6-14	May 5	May 12
University of Maryland, College Park	Wed., Jan. 27	Not listed	Mar. 14-21	May 11	May 20

Notes on the table: Arizona State lists Jan. 11 for Session C, and its add date is Jan. 17 (drop Jan. 24). Penn State’s regular add date is Jan. 17 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). The University of Texas lists Jan. 19 for undergraduate adds. The University of Georgia and Florida list drop/add windows ending Jan. 15 (Florida’s runs Jan. 11 to 15). UNC lists late registration ending Jan. 12, and its break runs from Friday, Mar. 5 at 5 p.m. until classes resume Mar. 15. The University of Arizona’s page shows a regular session from Wed., Jan. 13 to May 5, and no other dates. Indiana’s registration bulletin gives only the first day, Jan. 11.

How many universities start each week of January 2027?

First-day group	Universities	Count
Week of Jan. 4 to 8 (Jan. 6 and Jan. 7)	FSU, UNC, Colorado Boulder	3
Mon., Jan. 11	Ohio State, UT Austin, Florida, Penn State, ASU, Kentucky, USC, NC State, Utah, UGA, LSU, Indiana	12
Wed., Jan. 13	Arizona	1
Tue., Jan. 19	Rutgers, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Tennessee, Virginia Tech	7
Wed., Jan. 27	Maryland	1

When do spring 2027 finals end?

Among the schools that list the end of finals, the earliest end date is Apr. 30 (Florida, FSU and Colorado Boulder) and the latest is May 20 (Maryland). Wisconsin-Madison lists its spring recess as Mar. 20 to 28, the latest start of any break in the table. Our companion story, college spring break 2027 dates at universities, covers the breaks in full.

Which universities are not in the table?

The calendars for Texas A&M, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, the University of Central Florida (UCF), New York University (NYU), Texas Tech, Georgia Tech and Alabama were not readable when we checked on Nov. 4, 2026. Check the registrar for those. The University of Houston is also left out until we confirm its page.

Next on the college calendar are applications: see the Regular Decision deadlines for January 2027 and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) 2027-28 form dates. Mark the dates on a January 2027 printable calendar or a printable school-year calendar.